Auburn football recruiting: Jan. 25-26 official visitor preview

After a huge official visitor list last weekend, Auburn hosts only five players this weekend, but one of those is the Tigers' No. 1 remaining target, five-star linebacker Rashaan Evans.

The other four visitors are four-star QB/ATH and FSU commit Treon Harris, three-star WR and South Carolina commit Shaq Davidson, three-star CB/ATH and Central Florida commit Dominick Sanders, and two-star safety Markell Boston, an East Carolina commit. Of the five official visitors, only Evans, Harris and Davidson hold offers from Auburn. Sanders and Boston could receive offers if the Tigers were to miss on any of their remaining targets.

Also of note: Auburn commits Stephen Roberts, Deshaun Davis and Justin Thorton are scheduled to be on campus as unofficial visitors, alongside Williams and Thomas.

Auburn still leads for Evans, and could close the deal this weekend with a good official visit. Auburn commits Roc Thomas and Tre Williams, who have formed a close friendship with Evans, will be on campus to help wrap up his commitment. Evans has a top three of Auburn, Alabama and UCLA, but it seems as though UCLA isn't a huge contender, and all signs point to an in-state battle for the highly touted prospect. Most of those signs point to Auburn. It's nowhere near a done deal until pen meets paper, but Auburn feels like it holds a good sized lead on Alabama. Most in 'Bama's camp feel the same way. Head coach Gus Malzahn is expected to have an in-home visit on Wednesday, but Evans may visit Auburn again for the basketball game against Alabama, which is the same night. That would be huge for Auburn.

Harris is an interesting prospect. Auburn clearly wants him as an athlete, but the whole reason he has remained committed to FSU is because the Seminoles will give him a chance to play QB. The Tigers have made it clear they see him as an athlete, but Harris still has Auburn No. 2 behind FSU. The only reason for this is Dameyune Craig -- he's one of the best recruiters in the nation, and he would be a huge reason Harris flipped to Auburn. But then there's a twist: Where does Harris fit in as an athlete on the Plains? The Tigers don't have a ton of spots left, so it will be interesting to see how they deal with a flip by Harris if it comes to that.

We'll know much more about the recruitment of Davidson, Sanders and Boston after this weekend. We don't expect any of these players to end up in Auburn's class, and it might not be a good thing if any of them do because most of these players are, for lack of a better term, backup plans if Auburn misses on some targets down the stretch. The Tigers have a chance to put a bow on an already stellar class this weekend, and we will have a Sunday update on all big targets and commits, as well as how Auburn would like to finish come Signing Day. Until then, War Eagle.